The present invention relates to a remote control apparatus suitable for remote controlling an image display apparatus such as a television receiver and relates to an image display apparatus such as a television receiver which is controlled by the remote control apparatus.
A remote control apparatus is used to remote control an image display apparatus such as a television receiver. In the remote control apparatus, as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,328, there has been known a technique such that an IC card or a memory card in which various different data has been written is detachably inserted to a transmitter, namely, a remote commander of the remote control apparatus in order to change a function of the remote commander of the remote control apparatus. According to the technique disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,328, however, the function of the remote commander can be merely changed and a function of the apparatus on the side to be controlled by the remote commander is not changed.
In recent years, among television receivers, there is an apparatus such that not only a television broadcasting wave is merely received and a video image is displayed but also it can be used as a terminal to obtain various information by being connected to an information network such as the Internet. Sometimes the television receiver which can be connected to such an information network is called an Internet TV.
In a manner similar to ordinary personal computers, a function to connect the Internet TV to the information network is provided as application software for the internet TV. There is a case where the version of this kind of application software is updated as necessary. Further, there is a case where services which are presented from this kind of information network are changed to various services.
In the television receiver which can be connected to such an information network, therefore, it is desirable that the function of the television receiver can be changed in accordance with the change of the services which are presented from the information network. That is, if a control program to control the operation of the television receiver can be easily updated or changed as necessary, the functions and a use efficiency of this kind of image display apparatus can be further improved.
In recent years, there is a technique such that data of a still image photographed by a digital camera or a motion image of a relatively short time photographed by a video camera is recorded to an IC card, the IC card is removed from the camera and connected to a personal computer via a predetermined adaptor, and a video image is displayed on a display of the personal computer. In order to watch the video image recorded in the IC card, however, a power source of the personal computer is turned on and predetermined operations have to be performed after the personal computer is activated. There is such an inconvenience that it takes time and troublesomeness. Accordingly, if the image recorded in the IC card can be easily watched by using the television receiver, it is convenient.
The invention is made in consideration of the above problems and it is an object of the invention to provide a remote control apparatus which can easily update or change a control program to control the operation of an image display apparatus such as a television receiver as necessary and to provide an image display apparatus which is remote controlled by the remote control apparatus.
Another object of the invention is to provide a remote control apparatus whereby an image recorded in an IC card can be easily watched by using a television receiver and to provide an image display apparatus which is remote controlled by the remote control apparatus.
According to the present invention, there is provided a remote control apparatus for controlling the operation of control-target equipment by transmitting a remote control signal from a remote control transmitter to the control-target equipment, characterized in that the remote control transmitter comprises: a loading member for detachably loading an IC card in which predetermined data to be transmitted to the control-target equipment has been recorded into the remote control transmitter; and a control unit for reading the predetermined data recorded in the IC card when the IC card is loaded into the remote control transmitter and transmitting the data to the control-target equipment.
The predetermined data can be data to update control program for controlling the operation of the control-target equipment.
The control-target equipment can be an image display apparatus.
The image display apparatus can display a menu picture plane to select a function of the image display apparatus. The predetermined data can be data for changing the display of the menu picture plane.
The predetermined data can be video data to be reproduced by the image display apparatus.
The predetermined data can be video data and audio data to be reproduced by the image display apparatus.
According to the invention, there is provided an image display apparatus which is controlled by the foregoing remote control apparatus, including means for receiving predetermined data which has been recorded in an IC card and which is transmitted from the remote control transmitter into/from which the IC card in which the predetermined data has been recorded is detachably loaded, and updating a control program.
In the remote control apparatus, if the IC card is detachably loaded to the remote control transmitter and data recorded in the IC card is transmitted from the remote control transmitter to the control-target equipment, a control program to update the version of the control program for the control-target equipment recorded in the IC card can be transmitted to the control-target equipment. Consequently, the control program or the like for the control-target equipment can be easily updated by a remote operation. When video data recorded in the IC card is transmitted to the image display apparatus, an image recorded in the IC card can be easily watched.
In the image display apparatus which is controlled by the remote control apparatus in which the IC card has been detachably loaded, if a control program to update the version of the control program for the control-target equipment which is transmitted from the remote control transmitter of the remote control apparatus and has been recorded in the IC card is transmitted to the control-target equipment, the version of the function of the image display apparatus can be easily updated by the remote operation.